It may look like a tank, but it's not a tank.A Facebook picture posted Wednesday morning by Denver radio disc jockey Willie B., of a tracked vehicle with a "Jefferson County Sheriff" logo sitting on a flatbed trailer, quickly went viral....

Well, for something with no offensive capabilities at all, it sure seems to have offended a HELL of a lot of people! Guess we know where the next massive funding cuts can be made: police budgets. Apparently, they get all the military grade hardware they need for free.

Seems like the cops across the country are spoiling for a fight with the civilian population. Why else are they stocking up on ammo, automatic weapons, grenade launchers, MRAPs, APCs, and drones? To protect us to death?

TheForce wrote:It might not be a "tank" but it still is a piece of military equipment. Even if it is a freebie on loan from the DoD, why do police departments need this kind of equipment?

Need, no. But if we can re purpose equipment, doesn't is make sense to do so? We paid for this equipment, why not use it vs letting it rot. As for why this could be useful, google "north hollywood shootout". Sometimes a crown vic doesn't offer the defensive capabilities to match what is available to the bad guys.

While not a tank, it certainly is intimidating. The article made me think about those frantic days after the Boston Marathon bombing. Seeing armed soldiers and APC's going through neighborhoods, house-by-house, forcing people out of their homes at gunpoint and clearly violating individual rights in pursuit of a criminal...

We should be very careful about allowing a civilian police force to use military hardware. Not that we should be stupid, fearful or irrational, but careful and thoughtful. Once a thing is given, it is hard to take back.

I am what I am - Popeye the SailorI don't care what you do, I wouldn't want to be like you - Alan Parson's Project

Ok Mr. Techmeyer: So how many active shooter situations have you had in order to justify this thing because the one and ONLY time that I am aware it's ever been used for anything other than entertainment- is the day it was taken to a home in south Jeffco on a suicide call- you showed up with it and the guy shot himself dead- am I right or am I wrong? Furthermore, it's on loan? Send it back- why would you keep it? How much did that semi cost to haul it around? How much fuel is wasted on its entertainment value? Seriously ridiculous, simply because there's no need for it.

It's called Rise of the Warrior Cop (Radley Balko). And, yes, we should fear militarized police. The founders of our country recognized this most serious threat and we will dismiss their warnings at our own peril.

Sounds to me like there are a lot of people with way too much time and way too much paranoia. Police and fire departments are paramilitary organizations. That APC looks pretty paramilitary to me. For god sake give it a rest!